On Jan. 21, the Office of the Registrar at Oregon State University sent out an email to all students detailing the changes in course registration policy for Ecampus classes.
This announcement stipulated that starting Fall 2025 in-person students must wait till phase two of registration to register for any online class. The Registrar’s office explained in the email that the change was implemented to ensure OSU Ecampus students have the opportunity to register for their required courses.
Rebecca Mathern, the associate vice provost and university registrar, explained over email that Ecampus students have had trouble getting into required classes they need in order to graduate.
“Ecampus students have experienced difficulty getting the classes they need to progress toward graduation,” Mathern said in an email.
“In the annual survey, nearly 70% of Ecampus student respondents indicated that online course availability has a significant impact on their ability to progress toward their degree, in some cases having to take terms off and delay graduation,” Mathern said.
According to Mathern, the new online restriction only applies to undergraduate-level classes, and that graduating seniors may be eligible for an exception during their final term or terms, but need to coordinate with their advisors to request an override.
Mathern also added that this change only applies to fall, winter and spring terms, and that summer term is excluded.
Some in-person students, particularly those from out of state, haven’t taken kindly to the policy changes however.
The current tuition cost for an OSU Ecampus undergraduate is $13,191 per academic year. The current tuition of a non-resident on-campus undergraduate is $38,457.
Originally from Orange County, Calif., Carolyn Sellers, a fourth-year fisheries and wildlife conservation sciences major, said that taking Ecampus courses is one way to keep the cost of her tuition down.
Sellers added that because of the new OSU registration policy, waiting until phase two to register for online courses will impact her progress towards graduation.
Madeline Krueger, a third-year apparel design major, is from San Diego, Calif. Krueger said registration is always competitive.
“If (data) shows that Ecampus students are getting shut out of their classes at a significant rate then I would say having us delay registering for campus is fair. Otherwise I think it’s unfair,” Krueger said over text.
“A change will take place for fall registration 2025,” Mathern said.
“By communicating this change to students in January 2025, this allows students nearly 5 months to consider how to plan their schedule for the 2025-2026 academic year,” Mathern said.
Sellers said she prefers to take Ecampus classes when she takes intensive courses to help with her learning.
“(In Ecampus classes) I don’t feel a time constraint (during lectures) to digest the information. It allows me to take my time and better understand the material,” Sellers said over text.
Mathern didn’t comment on whether any on-campus students were consulted.
“I think this may impact my schedule because I graduate next term and am relying on one … class (which is) only offered (as) Ecampus. I don’t think I can afford to wait to graduate next fall because this Ecampus course fills up during phase one,” Sellers said.
